Meals for Millions Foundation records, 1946-1967

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Summary

Creators:
Meals for Millions Foundation
Abstract:
The Meals for Millions Foundation of Los Angeles was a non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of hunger in the world through "three-cent meals." The plan was formulated by Clifford Clinton (of Clinton Cafeterias of Los Angeles), who, with the assistance of Dr. Henry Borsook of the California Institute of Technology, organized the Foundation in 1946. After the Foundation began to change course in 1965, executive secretary Florence Rose resigned, and became associated with Investors Overseas Services until her death in 1969. In 1979, the Foundation merged with the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation. The collection consists of correspondence, financial records, publications, notebooks, newspapers, photographs, two phonograph records, and a film from the office and personal files of Meals for Millions executive secretary, Florence Rose.
Extent:
24 Linear Feet (48 boxes, 1 oversize box)
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Meals for Millions Foundation Records (Collection 1107). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of correspondence, financial records, publications, notebooks, newspapers, photographs, two phonograph records, and a film from the office and personal files of Meals for Millions executive secretary, Florence Rose.

Biographical / historical:

The Meals for Millions Foundation of Los Angeles was a non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of hunger in the world through "three-cent meals"; the plan was formulated by Clifford Clinton (of Clinton Cafeterias of Los Angeles), who, with the assistance of Dr. Henry Borsook of the California Institute of Technology, organized the Foundation in 1946; its basic product was Multi-Purpose Food (MPF), a tasteless additive that could be mixed with virtually anything to provide one-third of the daily vitamins, minerals, and protein needed by the average adult; after the Foundation began to change course in 1965, executive secretary Florence Rose resigned, and became associated with Investors Overseas Services until her death in 1969; in 1979 the Foundation merged with the American Freedom from Hunger Foundation.

The Meals for Millions Foundation of Los Angeles was a non-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of hunger in the world through "three-cent meals." The plan for such a program was formulated by Clifford Clinton (of Clifton cafeterias in Los Angeles), who, with the assistance of Dr. Henry Borsook of Caltech organized the foundation in 1946. The basic product of the foundation, known as Multi-purpose Food, was a tasteless additive that could be mixed with virtually anything. Developed by Dr. Borsook, MPF was said to provide one-third of the daily vitamins, minerals, and protein needed by the average adult.

Shortly after setting up the Foundation, Clinton brought in Florence Rose and Ernest Chamberlain to be co-directors and take over the day-to-day management. This collection or archive consists primarily of the office and personal files of Miss Rose, most of which she rescued from destruction when Meals for Millions began to change course in 1965. Florence Rose left the Foundation at that time and was then associated with Investors Overseas Services until her death in 1969.

The collection came to UCLA indirectly (via Smith College) from Ernest Chamberlain, close friend and confident of Miss Rose. The files have been alphabetically listed and their arrangement retained as originally filed. Consequently, a great deal of duplication exists throughout and the interrelationships of materials are often cloudy at best.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Ernest Chamberlain, 1971.
Processing information:

Collections are processed to a variety of levels depending on the work necessary to make them usable, their perceived user interest and research value, availability of staff and resources, and competing priorities. Library Special Collections provides a standard level of preservation and access for all collections and, when time and resources permit, conducts more intensive processing. These materials have been arranged and described according to national and local standards and best practices.

Processed by Saundra Taylor, May 1971; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé and edited by Josh Fiala.

Arrangement:

Arranged in the following series:

  1. Alphabetical files of the Meals for Millions (MFM) Foundation (Boxes 1-21).
  2. Miscellaneous unsorted correspondence and ephemera (Boxes 22-26).
  3. Miscellaneous printed material (Boxes 27-30).
  4. MFM notebook files of printed material (Boxes 31-37).
  5. MFM projects in foreign countries (Boxes 38-47).
  6. Miscellaneous files re soybeans, MFM staff and financial information, newspapers (Box 48).
  7. Two records by Peggy Lee produced for MFM, photographs, People to people film (Oversize box).

Physical / technical requirements:

CONTAINS AUDIOVISUAL MATERIALS: This collection contains processed audiovisual materials. All requests to access digital materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Physical location:
Stored off-site. All requests to access special collections material must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for research. All requests to access special collections materials must be made in advance using the request button located on this page.

Terms of access:

Property rights to the physical objects belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. All other rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Meals for Millions Foundation Records (Collection 1107). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
A1713 Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575, US
Contact:
(310) 825-4988
AskLSC@library.ucla.edu
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